Over the past decade, Athens-Clarke County has hosted a Georgia County Internship Program (GCIP) intern in the Communications Department. Communications Director Jeff Montgomery has worked closely with students from the University of Georgia (UGA) to offer hands-on experience in videography, photography, and media production. This summer, UGA junior Thomas Livingston enhanced his technical media skills and explored his interests through work with the county. As an arts, entertainment, and media management major, Livingston gained valuable hands-on experience and made a lasting impact on the county.
Before the internship, Livingston was unfamiliar with county government. However, when his professor informed him about the opportunity, he decided to explore a new field. Under the guidance of Montgomery and Video Production Coordinator, Stuart Robinett, Livingston participated in a variety of projects and hands-on tasks designed to hone his skills and diversify his talents in digital media. “We like meeting interns where they are,” Robinett said, emphasizing that the internship gives students space to explore their strengths.
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It didn't take long for Livingston to jump into the world of local government. On just the first day of his internship, he attended and documented a new pool opening in the county. Livingston then used the footage from this event to create content for the county's television station, ACTV. Throughout the summer, he was responsible for creating graphics, media, and other content for ACTV, social media, newsletters, and digital signage throughout the county. By capturing a diverse range of content, Livingston gave residents an inside look at the services and people that make up Athens-Clarke County.
Drawing from prior experience as a freelance videographer, Livingston also handled filming and editing for a range of projects. Livingston said filming days were what he enjoyed most in the internship, “I like to get to piece together a story,” he said. These opportunities also gave Livingston unique insight into county operations. “Not only was the filming aspect enjoyable, but getting to hear about the day-to-day lives of different county employees was also very enlightening,” he noted
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One of his favorite projects was creating a promotional video for the Lyndon House Arts Center, an assignment he particularly enjoyed due to his love of art. He worked on other videos highlighting the county's arts and culture community, such as a spotlight on a local artist’s mural on the Oconee Rivers Greenway. Their completion and publication online felt like significant successes for Livingston, who said that "the process of beginning a project with only a large batch of files and eventually piecing everything together into a cohesive production, though often time-consuming, was extremely rewarding. Seeing the final product after several days of work made the process feel truly worthwhile.”
Through the internship, Livingston strengthened his technical and creative skills and also developed new professional competencies. He became more familiar with industry-standard tools such as Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, and Canva. He also developed new skills in pre-production planning, note-taking, and interview preparation.
Feedback was also a routine part of Livingston’s workflow, and he said his newfound comfort receiving and utilizing feedback will help him in the future. Livingston said he also learned how to communicate professionally and collaborate with colleagues. “I believe these new skills will greatly assist me in work-specific tasks…as well as my ability to effectively communicate with colleagues and clientele,” he said.
Over the summer, Livingston learned that county government is more dynamic and people-centered than he expected. "County government is a lot more important than people think," he noted. Balancing his creative work with public communication – speaking in the county's "social voice" – gave him a new appreciation for local government service.
Looking ahead, Livingston will continue his internship with Athens-Clarke County throughout the fall semester. After graduation, Livingston intends to pursue media creation, with a focus on people-oriented, commercial storytelling. During his time as a GCIP intern with the county, Livingston not only developed essential technical skills relevant to his career but also gained a deep appreciation for the function of county government.
To learn more about the GCIP, please visit our website at https://www.accg.org/caf_index.php.
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